How Common is IBS?

Incidence of people with irritable bowel
syndrome has been estimated to be 1 in 5
Americans. That number of sufferers is
currently increasing - cause unknown possibly diet or life
style. Possibly the medical community is finally listening to
its patients.

Many health care professionals think that IBS is not a
common syndrome because many people do not report their
symptoms. My doctor on hearing me say I had IBS but mostly
under control - sighed and then asked if I was self diagnoses
or if I had done any real medical tests. If a doctor did
not diagnose it - it could not be. I have been diagnosed
with both spastic colon and irritable bowel syndrome - both
mean the same thing.

If you are dealing with IBS, you should realize that you are
not alone with the problem. There are many others that have the
same symptoms as you and are going through the same problems,
including getting a doctor to take them seriously.

Certain demographics can be looked at in relation to
Irritable Bowel Syndrome. For instance this syndrome is not
separated by age or ethnicity. It can affect anyone during any
point of their life. Children and teens have been diagnosed
with IBS, as well as adults.

The one major difference in demographics is between females
and males. About forty percent of the population with IBS is
male, while sixty percent is female. Because there is no
difference otherwise, it is important to make sure that you are
able to monitor your eating habits as well as how your
environment and other factors affect your digestive system.

One of the other factors to consider with the commonality of
IBS is how severe the problems are. Since it is estimated
that twenty percent of the population see a doctor about
their symptoms, it is also estimated that those people
have more severe symptoms.

It is noted that most people that have IBS do not have
severe symptoms. Those who have mild symptoms of IBS will
most likely not go to a doctor or have their IBS treated. These
people will seek information from many sources including the
internet. I would guess that most everyone knows someone
who complains of Irritable Bowel Syndrome symptoms.

Some people will complain of chronic diarrhea or some will
say having a bowel movement once a week is normal for them.
Neither of these is a healthy condition.

If your body is eliminating food before the nutrients can be
absorbed, you are suffering with malnutrition which in turn
affects all other systems in your body. If you are not
eliminating food within 24-32 hours of consuming it, then you
are building up toxins which affect all the other systems in
your body.

If you are battling IBS, it is important to recognize that
you are not alone with these symptoms. There are many others
who have been diagnosed with IBS or have it as a mild syndrome.
If you have IBS symptoms, you will probably want to find other
people online who suffer from the same symptoms in order to
compare notes and possible solutions. A trip to the doctor
is a good idea also.